Book Description
A translation of Grazia Deledda's first novel, an autobiographically based portrayal if an Italian woman coming to terms with breast cancer at the cusp of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Peace be with You
I am a devoted reader of Grazia Deledda, the Sardinian Nobel Prize-winning author.Her ability to write of the unique Sardinian culture circa 1900 and to do so from a woman's perspective is the core of her talent and her appeal.My devotion began with the first of her books that I read, "After the Divorce".To date, I have not come across another Deledda book that meets the artistic level of "After the Divorce" but "The Church of Solitude" comes closest of the six other Deledda books that I have read.

"The Church of Solitude" tells the story of a relatively young (28 years old) rural Sardinian woman who has had a mastectomy.Her doctor tells her to take it easy; no emotional involvement, peace and quiet, no overworking, and to expect the disease to return in about 10 years.The author gives us a vivid picture of a completely demoralized woman trying to deal with this reality.She returns home confused about how to approach with the rest of her life.She gets some advice from her priest (focus on serving others) while she is also dealing with the very real desires within her.The book does a good job of examining the conflicting messages of the doctor, the priest, and her own emotions.Oddly, as her self-esteem declines, the number of suitors increases (she has invested well).The competition of her suitors leads to a mystery that helps add an additional level of interest to the book.In a subtley presented way, the heroine, Concezione, is able to realize a direction that will enable her to accommodate the doctor, the priest, and herself.

"The Church of Solitude" was translated by E. Ann Matter and, while I can't comment on the translation, I do appreciate her inclusion of a good biography of the author and some literary observations as well.

I came away from "The Church of Solitude" with an appreciation that God's healing powers don't bring health as much as they bring peace.Health doesn't necessarily heal a troubled mind the way peace can cure an attitude about a troubled body.Grazia Deledda does an excellent job in bringing this out and it is the essential beauty of "The Church of Solitude" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

a matter of strength
This short novel is an interesting study in inner strength.We are introduced to a young priest and his mother.We discover from the beginning that the priest is having an affair with a young widow in town.He is challenged by his mother whose faith impresses us with its strength.The priest, in turn, seems weak in that area.As other events take place, we see a transformation in the priest who struggles and falls but forces himself to do the right thing.The mother, however, undergoes doubts and weakens in her resolve.In the climatic ending we are reminded that faith is constantly challenged and thus is in need of regular maintenance.

As in all of Grazia Deladda's novels, the reader gets a sense of life in the distant world of rural Sardinia and an appreciation for the story-telling abilities of this Nobel Prize-winning author. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Romantic Deledda
This is the 8th Grazia Deledda book that I have read.My favorite is still "After the Divorce" but the other books were interesting on many levels.The best aspect of Deledda is her description of the rural Sardinia circa (or should I spell it Sirca) the previous turn of the Century.It is a remote lifestyle similar to the Scicilian stories I've read by other authors.Deledda doesn't just paint a picture, her characters are real and bring out the cultural and personal attitudes and customs.In "Marianna Sirca" all those elements were there but, I have to confess, the book started out more like a romance novel.I don't read those Harlequin "Masterpieces" so I don't know how bad (or good?) that writing is.The writing IS good in this book and eventually there is a conclusion that says a lot about Sardinian ways and how a strong woman is weighted down by them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fantastic Book
This novel is dramatic and poetic, a story about passion and the destructiveness of ambivalence,in a wild, exotic setting.I was struck by the power of the story and the evocative writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

magical
I just finished this novel, and I am amazed.It is everything a novel should be: artfully crafted, fascinating and just brilliant in general. Deledda's prose style is so direct that although she wrote this novel over 100 years ago it speaks clearly to the modern reader. She takes you right there to a long lost place. She should be well known, but she is not.My only regret is that only a portion of her work is available in english.I also loved her novels Cosima, After the Divorce and Reeds in the Wind.

Temptation and sin
Elias Portolu is a Sardinian peasant who has done time in jail, in Italy. One day he returns to the island, a few weeks before his brother gets married. Trouble begins when Elias starts to fall in love with his brother's fiancee. Being a loyal brother, he resists the temptation, and when it gets stronger, Elias leaves his home and goes to another village. But, as Goethe proved in "Elective affinities", love is not something we can control or decide, and so the story proceeds...

Grazia Deledda, a Nobel-Prize winner, has written a novel of great tension. No good nor bad guys here: just human beings with difficult lives, in possession of moral values as well as human weaknesses. Worth reading. ... Read more

Book Description
1928. The Mother is an unusual book, both in its story and its setting in a remote Sardinian hill village, half civilized and superstitious. But the chief interest lies in the psychological study of the two chief characters, and the action of the story takes place so rapidly (all within the space of two days) and the actual drama is so interwoven with the mental conflict, and all so forced by circumstances, that it is almost Greek in its simple and inevitable tragedy. The book is written without offense to any creed or opinions, and touches on no questions of either doctrine or Church government. It is jut a human problem, the result of primitive human nature against man-made laws it cannot understand. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Italian Culture, published by American Association for Italian Studies on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 4560 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Reticence and aphasia in Deledda's Cosima.
Author: Cinzia Di Giulio
Publication: Italian Culture (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: American Association for Italian Studies
Volume: 19Issue: 2Page: 57(10)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful little gem of a book for mothers
Whimsical drawings and short phrases dot the pages of this little treasure. Modern motherhood is viewed by defining the various roles mothers perform. Some roles are entertainer,role model, juggler, nurturer, and even lover, the author defines who a mother is to the various loved ones in her family. Cute little drawings illustrate the humorous and serious aspects of each role.

This book contains references more toward the mother of school-aged children and teenagers. There are no references to mothering babies, such as breastfeeding or diaper changing. (As the mother of young children I wish there was a volume for just mothering babies and toddlers! I am sure it would be wonderful.) There are references to listening to your child's problems and sitting down to discuss things over tea and Kleenex. Some of the pages would be lovely framed.

A lovely little book that is appropriate for a gift.

Sweet and thoughtful
I found this gem in a bookstore in Tokyo.The thoughtful situations, so relevant to a mother's life, are portrayed mostly by lovely drawings and a few carefully selected words.As an at-home mom, I often feel misunderstood.But Ms. White understands....perfectly.I bought this book for my mom for Mother's Day. ... Read more